Razor-blade knife



Feb., i@ w24,

c. P. WETMQRE RAZOR BLADE KNXFE vFiled April 3, 1922 A TTORNEY'.

@atented yEdeleo lh,

ldblll@ terrier @raton IES l?. WETMOBE, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR T WETMOREME- i' .t OTORY GOMIPANY,

@E WISH zur* OF MILWAUK WISCGNSJIN, A CURPOMTIQN OR-BLADE KNIFE.

.hpplicaen flied April t, 192e. Serial tto.Y 548,807.

This invention relates to knives for utilizing discarded safety-razor blades.

Its main objects are to provide such a miie with simple e'ective means for sel@ curely but releasably clamping and holding thin safety-razor blades in place for use therein without loose o r detachable fastenings; to prevent binding of the clamping leaves next to the blade against the handle, a; and to subject their contacting faces adjacent their pivot connection to a yielding pressure suicient to hold the knife open or closed; to facilitate removingrand replacing blades; to adapt such a knife to a wider tt range of uses' to guard the rear corner of the blade and thereby prevent cutting the hand in which the knife is held; and nerally to improve the construction an increase the utility or convenience of hives @t of this' class.

lt consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of parts as hereinafter particularly described and pointed out in the claims.,

lin the accompanying drawing like characters'designate the saine parts in the several gres,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an open knife embodying the invention, a part of et the handle being broken away; lFig. 2 is an edge view of the open knife as viewed from the top of Fig. 1, a portion of one of the blade clamping leaves being broken away; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the knife on the line 3 3, lli 1,; Fig. t is a side elevation of the close hife" and Fig. 5 is an enlarged cross section of t e closed knife on the e 55, Fig. d.

The knifecomprises a handle preferably made of .sheet metal, with spaced parallel sides 1, connected along one side by a fold forming a closed back 2. Adjacent one end the sides are formed with aligned rivet holes, and at the opposite end with nturned flanges 3, closing the outer end of the handle. At the outer end the handle is provided with a ring 4, for attaching the knife to a chain if desired. Adjacent the outer end the sides 1 are formed with aligned cigar openings 5, and with thumb notches 6 in the edges opposite the back 2.

'lhe knife is provided with a blade `holder consisting of two clamping leaves 8 and 9, which are formed with outwardly offset Shanks or pivot ends 10. The Shanks or e5 ends 10 are formed with aligned ciicular holes fitted to turn on a spacing washer 11, fastened between the handle sides l by a rivet 12, preferably of tubular form, which is anged orv upset at the ends to bind the handle sides together against the ends of the washer 11. The Shanks or pivot ends 10 of the clamping leaves are normally spaced by the oisets therein, so that the distance between their outer faces is slightly greater than the distance between the lnn'er faces of the sides l of the handle. Ylhe outer faces of the Shanks or pivot ends 10 are thus made to exert a yielding ressure against the inner faces of the handle sides Se 1, smhcient to effectively retain the blade holder with a blade clamped therein, either open as shown in Fig. l, or closed as shown in Fig. 4.

The leaf 8. is formed along its back edge ce with an inturned gage and stop ldang-e llt, and at its outer end with a hooked clipy 15.

The leaf 9, which is made of spring or resilient metal, is normally bowed lengthwise towards the leaf 8, as shown in Fig. 3, ae and is concaved on the inner side crosswise, as shown in Fig. 5, so that when it is pressed against a razor blade l?, positioned on the leaf 8, with one edge against the idange it, and is turned at its outer end into engagece ment with the clip l5, it will exert a anithey form clamping pressure the full length of its edges against the blade and securely hold the same in place between it and the leaf 8, with the edge of the blade opposite the flange 14 exposed, as shown in Fig. 1.

The leaves 8 and 9 are preferably graduf ally chamfered or beveled on the outer sides along their front edges adjacent the exposed cutting ed e of the blade 17, as shown in Figs. 1 an 5, and adjacent their inner ends are extended transversely to vform guards 19 for the rear or inner corner or end of the cutting edge of the blade, as shown in Fig. 1, and thus protect the finger of the hand in which the knife-is held.

The offset shank or p ivot end 10 of the leaf 9 is fern .ed as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, with an inwa .dly struck ear or lug 21, which by engagement with the inner end of a blade 17 when clamped in position between the leaves 8 and 9, holds it against being pulled away from the fiange 14, particularly when pressure is applied to the cutting edge of the lade at or adjacent its opposite end.

The leaf 8 is formed at its outer end adj acent the fiange 14 with a nail cleaning prong 0r spur 23, and both leaves are formed on their outer sides with nail files and finger grips 24, the knife being thus adapted for manicure uses. 'lhese files and finger grips are preferabl located so that they are ex posed when t e knife' is closed, through the openings 5, and may then be used as finger grips to facilitate opening the knife. They also facilitate the manipulation of the leaves 8 and 9 when the knife 1s open, for removing and replacing blades.

The ian e 14, by abutment at its inner end with the a jacent end of the back 2, as shown in Fig. 1, serves as a stop to hold the clamping leaves 8 and 9 with a blade 17, clamped between them, in alignment with the handle. It also serves, as shown in Fig. 4, by engagement with the notched edge of one of the handle sides 1, to limit the closing movement of the blade holder and blade, and in connection with the adjacent notch 6, as a thumb nail catch or hold for opening the knife.

When a blade is clamped between the leaves 8 and 9, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 5, the outward pressure of the Shanks or pivot ends 10 of the leaves 8 and 9 against the inner faces of the handle sides 1, reacts through the leaves to firmly clamp and hold the blade between them, the shoulders formed by the offsets in the leaves acting as fulcrums against each other or against the adjacent end of the blade, and tending to spread the Shanks or pivot ends l() and to separate the leaves. i

The resiliency of the inwardly bowed spring leaf 9, exerting an outward pressure against the clip 15 with which 1t is engaged and which serves as an end positioning abutment for a blade, in connection with the nange 14 which serves as a backv abutment, and the ear or lug 21, which serves as an inner end abutment for the blade, securely holds the leaves with the blade clamped between them, in place.

To cut the tip end from a cigar with the knife, the tip of the cigar is inserted in the opening 5 in one side of the knife when it is opened or partially opened, the blade is then closed and pressed with the clamping leaves into the handle, thereby severing the cigar tip, which falls through the opening in the other side of the handle.

I claim:

1. In'a razor-blade knife the combination of a'handle having spaced sides and bladeclamping leaves one of which is resilient, pivotally connected with each other and with the sides of the handle and outwardly offset to exert a yielding outward pressure against the sides of the handle adjacent their pivot connection therewith and to react with a clamping pressure on the adjacent end of an interposed blade.

2. In a razor-blade knife the combination of a handle having spaced sides, a spacing washer interposed between the sides of the handle adjacent one end thereof, a rivet passing through the washer and binding the sides of the handle together, and blade-clamping leaves one of which is resilient, having outwardly offset ends pivotally mounted on said washer and exerting against the inner faces of the handlel sides an outward pressure which reacts with an inward pressure to clamp an interposed blade between adjacent parts of the leaves.

3. In a razor-blade knife, of a sheet metal handle formed with s aced parallel sides, a connecting back fol and end fianges closing one end, and a blade holder composed of two clamping leaves one of which is resilient, having outwardly offset ends pivotally connected with each other and with the sides of the handle, one of the leaves having an inturned flange along its back edge and at its -outer end an inturned clip under which the other leaf is adapted to be sprung for clamping a blade between them.

4. In a razor-blade knife, the combination of a handle having spaced sides and a closed back connecting the sides, and a blade holder composed of two clampin leaves having outwardly odset ends pivote to each other and to and between the sides of the handle, one of the leaves being resilient, concave crosswise on the inner side and normally bowed lengthwise towards the other, which is formed along its back edge with an inturned flange adapted to abut at one end against the adjacent end of the handle back and to hold the blade. in alignment with the handle when the knife is opened, and one leaf being rovided at its outer end with a clin with w ch the other leaf is adapted to be engaged when the combinationv 1,484,538 turned on its pivot to clamp a. blade between er inter osed between and fastened to the them throughout its entire length along the sides adjacent the other end, and e blade edges of the concave' leaf. holder pivotelly mounted on the WashernI il@ 5. In a razor-blade knife the combination In w1tness whereof l hereto ax my signe @of a handle having spaced sides connected ture.

along the back and provided with inturned flanges forming a closed end, e spacing wash- CHARLES P, WETMORE. 

